'Stangs double-up in Pueblo

By Neil H. Devlin, Mullen Sports Information Director
All 4 doubles teams advance to the semifinals; Yost may be alive in singles playbacks; Mullen in competitive shape after 1st day of 4A state tennis.
 
On the strength of their doubles, Mullen’s Mustangs, defending Class 4A champions, sit at fourth place through two rounds of the 2022 tournament at City Park in Pueblo.

Mullen has 13 points to Cheyenne Mountain’s 18, Kent Denver’s 17 and Palmer Ridge’s 16.

According to Mustangs head coach Jera Sturgell, “it went really well … the wind was a little crazy, then it was a hot day, but overall it was very good.”  

A sweep of eight doubles matches is keeping the Mustangs in the hunt. Madeline Crites-Paige Nielsen (No. 1), Aubryanne Leugers-Renee Hoyt (No. 2), Clara Dailey-Claire Lenich (No. 3) and Avery Walters-Grace Brouillette (No. 4) rolled into Friday’s semifinals.

All but Leugers-Hoyt won in straight sets and those two won 6-0 in the deciding game against a team from Air Academy. Otherwise, the other three teams won convincingly, including Dailey-Lenich shutting out an Erie team 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

As for singles, junior Lexi Yost (No. 1) dropped the first set (6-3) to Longmont’s Lauren Pavot, another junior, but rallied and won the second 6-4 and third by tiebreaker.

Yost ran into the field’s top seed, Beilynn Geiss of Loveland, a senior who won in dominant fashion (6-0, 6-0), in the quarterfinals, but can get into the playbacks if Geiss wins in the semifinals.

“Lexi’s first match was incredible,” Sturgell said. “She has good potential going forward and we’re hoping for third.”

Senior Marin Smith (No. 2) and junior Savanna Hanley (No. 3) were preliminary-round losers.

Cheyenne Mountain advanced at six of seven lines, Kent Denver has scored at all seven spots and Palmer Ridge has five in the semis.

Sturgell said scoring help in other matches will be necessary to defend their team title, but “we’ve got to win ours.”
  
CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP

At Pueblo City Park

Thursday

Top team scores – Cheyenne Mountain 18, Kent Denver 17, Palmer 16, Mullen 13, Pine Creek 9.

PRELIMINARIES

No. 1 singles – Lexi Yost won 3-6, 6-4, 7-6.

No. 2 singles – Marin Smith lost 6-1, 6-2.

No. 3 singles – Savanna Hanley lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

No. 1 doubles – Madeline Crites-Paige Nielsen won 6-1, 6-1.

No. 2 doubles – Aubryanne Leugers-Renee Hoyt won 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

No. 3 doubles – Clara Dailey-Claire Lenich won 6-3, 6-1.

No. 4 doubles – Avery Walters-Grace Brouillette won 6-1, 6-2.

QUARTERFINALS

No. 1 singles – Lexi Yost lost 6-0, 6-0.

No. 1 doubles – Madeline Crites-Paige Nielsen won 6-2, 6-4.

No. 2 doubles – Aubryanne Leugers-Renee Hoyt won 6-2, 6-4.

No. 3 doubles – Clara Dailey-Claire Lenich won 6-0, 6-0.

No. 4 doubles – Avery Walters-Grace Brouillette won 6-0, 6-2.
 
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